Science and art come together

JoAnne Castelli Castor is a Glendora artist who paints female figures as elements of the landscape.

If you like to ponder deep global and scientific concepts while appreciating fine art, then plan to stop by the newest gallery in Merchantville sometime between now and the end of June.

"Emergence," a two-person show, opens tonight and runs through June 27 at 13 North Gallery. Artist receptions will be held from 6 to 10 tonight and June 6.

The show features works by JoAnne Castelli Castor of Glendora and Elliott Karetny of Collingswood.

According to curators Russ Loue and Harris Eckstut, the artists "deal with the current emergence of "the shift,' a systemic phenomenon of change that bridges all disciplines on the planet."

"In this show, Castelli Castor paints female figures as elements of the landscape -- rising from water, earth, darkness, clouds. . . .These icons of world conflicts are representative of a society which is struggling toward consensus and peace and away from aggression and war," the artist says.

Castelli Castor works on this thesis and other commissions in her studio. She previously has painted murals in churches, residences and commercial sites. She also does portraiture, working with children, young adults and professionals.

For more on her work, check out her Web site: www.castellicastor.com.

With a background in paleontology and geology, Karetny's mixed-media abstract paintings reflect his interaction with terrain and environment.

"His interpretation of "Emergence' is depicted by his use of materials. They reflect the metaphor of the burial of fossils and their eventual emergence via erosion and excavation," the curators say.

"His paintings show how landscapes evolve and reveal their past, as well as their potential future."

The artist is a science teacher at Timber Creek High School. His studio is in Collingswood.